Our First Disney Cruise

[Edisto Pluto]

We will be on our first Disney cruise the first week of September. We will be on the Dream. We have been on other cruise lines and have been to WDW over 20 times. We are excited about the Dream and all of the positive comments we've read. Please share your thoughts,hints and suggestions.

 

[mrpygmypuff]

We will be on our first Disney cruise the first week of September. We will be on the Dream. We have been on other cruise lines and have been to WDW over 20 times. We are excited about the Dream and all of the positive comments we've read. Please share your thoughts,hints and suggestions.

they start boarding early, bring your swim suit, the auqa duck has no line....

 

[patricia27]

Dream

We go on the Dream at the end of May--our first cruise ever!!
What exactly is the dress code? Especially for evening dining? We don`t want to have to take to many "dressy" clothes as we are going to WDW after where we always dress casual. Coming from the UK we have to limit what goes in our cases,and have space for what we buy!!

 

[Phonedave]

We go on the Dream at the end of May--our first cruise ever!!
What exactly is the dress code? Especially for evening dining? We don`t want to have to take to many "dressy" clothes as we are going to WDW after where we always dress casual. Coming from the UK we have to limit what goes in our cases,and have space for what we buy!!

What length cruise are you going on (how many days).

Longer cruises may or may not have a semi-formal or formal dinner night.

However, if packing is REALLY a problem, you can allways skip that dining rotation and eat in one of the buffets.

Most nights dining casual pants and a collared shirt (polo or button down) for men. Women are good with a sun dress or skirt/pants and a blouse. There is a pirate night, and if you want to wear pirate clothes thats cool, but the 'normal' stuff works just fine.

If your cruise has a formal night, then a sport coat, maybe a suit, etc. is appropriate for men, and a pantsuit or dressy dress for women.

If you are going to one of the upscale restaruants (Paolo or Remy) then a jacket and tie is required and cocktail dress for women.


-dave

 

[patricia27]

Dream

Thanks Dave--I don`t think we will be going to Paulos. There must be a danger of eating too much and not exercising!! We are looking forward to the gym! We are doing a 5 night cruise. I`ll pack a dress for myself and slacks for my husband. So which cruises have you been on?

 

[Phonedave]

Thanks Dave--I don`t think we will be going to Paulos. There must be a danger of eating too much and not exercising!! We are looking forward to the gym! We are doing a 5 night cruise. I`ll pack a dress for myself and slacks for my husband. So which cruises have you been on?

3 and 4 night DCL cruises on the Magic

I am booked for a 5 night on the Dream this summer.


-dave

 

[disneygirl1]

Be sure to tell us all about the the 5 night Dream Cruise when you get back Dave. We are going on it next April and would love to hear your thoughts!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Thanks Dave--I don`t think we will be going to Paulos. There must be a danger of eating too much and not exercising!! We are looking forward to the gym! We are doing a 5 night cruise. I`ll pack a dress for myself and slacks for my husband. So which cruises have you been on?

That's always the danger!! And part of the fun! :lol:

You will see a pretty big range in dress. Dave's right, they don't enforce the dress codes anywhere but Palo and Remy.

That would be one of my tips though - do not miss Palo!! It's amazing! There's a gym and a walking track. You can work it off if you must!

 

[mrpygmypuff]

was on the Dream in Feb.... Crew needed more training.... I knew the layout of the decks better than some of the crew members. One waiter told us he wasn't the chef when we told him that the raspberry sauce on the cheesecake was strawberry sauce. To top it all off, 1,600 jobs.... only 100 of them went to Americans....
The way your dressed is the least of your worries!

 

[bento]

was on the Dream in Feb.... Crew needed more training.... I knew the layout of the decks better than some of the crew members. One waiter told us he wasn't the chef when we told him that the raspberry sauce on the cheesecake was strawberry sauce. To top it all off, 1,600 jobs.... only 100 of them went to Americans....
The way your dressed is the least of your worries!

most cruise crew members are from foreign countries for obvious reasons... lower wages and no benefits.

its the same for all cruise lines - carnival, royal caribbean and Disney as well.

 

[patricia27]

Dream

We go on the first 5 night cruise on May 29th. Our first cruise ever!!
Not too impressed with the cast member telling you he wasn`t the chef!!
I have one UK friend working on the Dream who just loves it. Another was a waiter and couldn`t wait to get off the ship and go home!!

 

[WondersOfLife]

lol, nobody tends to go on the magic as much.. I guess it's because it's the oldest, but I really enjoyed it and it was my first cruise, then i went on the carnival and all they had were bars. so we're going to take the 15 day cruise from spain to america!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

was on the Dream in Feb.... Crew needed more training.... I knew the layout of the decks better than some of the crew members. One waiter told us he wasn't the chef when we told him that the raspberry sauce on the cheesecake was strawberry sauce. To top it all off, 1,600 jobs.... only 100 of them went to Americans....
The way your dressed is the least of your worries!

Sorry your Dream experience wasn't top-notch. The Dream went into service in late January and I read quite a few hiccups in those early months. Hopefully as time passes and the crew gets more acclimated/experienced all the little kinks will get worked out. Seems like reviews are steadily improving.

most cruise crew members are from foreign countries for obvious reasons... lower wages and no benefits.

its the same for all cruise lines - carnival, royal caribbean and Disney as well.

Again, from doing a bit of reading, generally working & crew conditions on DCL ships is said to be better than the usual on other cruise ships. I have no clue what the pay & benefits are.


I know the DCL ships are not registered in the US. The percentage of international crew members isn't any different for Disney as the rest of the industry. Not exactly sure what the purpose is for pointing out the numbers of US crew members on the Dream is. There's nothing out of the ordinary or notable about it. :shrug:

 

[patricia27]

Tipping

What can you tell me about the "Tipping"?
Is it right we get envelopes to put them in?
Having never been on a cruise before I don`t know the form.

 

[Phonedave]

What can you tell me about the "Tipping"?
Is it right we get envelopes to put them in?
Having never been on a cruise before I don`t know the form.

It is 'right'

Do you mean is the information correct, or is the practice proper?


Yes, you get envelopes - that is pretty much standard practice.

You will tip out your Server, Assistant Server, Head Server and Porter in envelopes. Here is the suggested tipping amounts.

You get envelopes in your stateroom. You can put in cash, or go the the cruise services desk, charge the amount, and you will get a slip that you can put in the envelope.

-dave



Per Guest per cruise 3-Night 4-Night 7-Night
Dining Room Server $12.00 $16.00 $28.00
Dining Room Asst. Server $9.00 $12.00 $21.00
Dining Room Head Server $3.00 $4.00 $7.00
Stateroom Host/
Hostess $12.00 $16.00 $28.00
Dining Manager Your Discretion
Room Service Your Discretion
Palo Gratuity included
Vista Spa & Salon Your Discretion
Babysitting Gratuity not expected
Shore Excursions Optional;
not included in shore
excursion price.

 

[ChuckElias]

To top it all off, 1,600 jobs.... only 100 of them went to Americans....
The way your dressed is the least of your worries!

Forgive me if this is rude, but you have a total of 29 posts on this forum and you've now posted in two separate threads about the number of Americans hired on the Dream, even after being informed (correctly) that this is a common practice across all cruise lines, and why it's a common practice. Is there some other agenda in the background that we should know about? :shrug:

 

[DVCOwner]

There must be a danger of eating too much

How can you eat to much, I was only eating 5 to 6 meals a day.

 

[patricia27]

Food

So I`d better take some bigger sized clothes!!
We are also in the Vacation club--our home resort is Old Key West . We are staying at the Boardwalk for 3 nights, going on the cruise, then staying at Old Key West for 9 nights.